Wildcats Get Back on Track with Win at Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After dropping its first match away from home to No. 1 USC last week, No. 19 Kentucky (10-1) bounced back with a 4-2 win at Louisville (4-1) on Sunday at Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
 
Sunday’s Valentine’s Day matchup was the first meeting between the two sides separated by less than 80 miles since 2011. The Wildcats’ advantage in the head-to-head series improves to 43-3-1 since 1925, anchored by a perfect 27-0 mark since the Cardinals’ inaugural varsity men’s tennis season in 1982-83.
 
The day began with Kentucky relinquishing its first doubles point of the season, which snowballed into to a 0-2 deficit when Louisville claimed the first singles point on court three. Kentucky sophomore Gabriel Diallo was the first to right the ship, defeating Louisville junior Fabien Salle 7-5, 6-2 on court No. 2.
 
On the fourth court, fifth-year senior César Bourgois defeated Josh Howard-Tripp 6-1, 7-5, tying the team score at 2. The last straight-set contest to finish was on the top court, where No. 45 Liam Draxl beat No. 71 Tin Chen 6-4, 7-5.
 
With a second consecutive and third overall win against a ranked opponent, the sophomore moves to 10-0 overall as the Wildcats’ No. 1 singles competitor.
 
The match’s clinching point came on court five, where freshman Yasha Zemel fleshed out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over Matthew Fung.
 
“Well done by our boys,” said head coach Cedric Kauffmann. “We came into an in-state rivalry on the road without our full team after losing a tough battle against Southern Cal but still came away with a victory, even after losing the doubles point. Proud of that. We did not win this match with our tennis—I don’t think we played well at all—but we won it with grit. We talk about how we will compete on our worst days, and the Cats did that today.”
 
Next, Kentucky is set to begin Southeastern Conference play with a second straight road tilt, albeit approximately 900 miles farther away than the first. The Wildcats will take on No. 9 Texas A&M (3-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
 
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, @kentuckymenstennis on Instagram, and on the web at UKAthletics.com.
 
 
#19 Kentucky 4, Louisville 2
 
Singles
1.#45 Liam Draxl (UK) def. #71 Tin Chen (UofL) 6-4, 7-5
2.Gabriel Diallo (UK) def. Fabien Salle (UofL) 7-5, 6-2
3.Sergio Hernandez (UofL) def. #123 Joshua Lapadat (UK) 6-4, 6-4
4.César Bourgois (UK) def. Josh Howard-Tripp (UofL) 6-1, 7-5
5.Yasha Zemel (UK) def. Matthew Fung (UofL) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
6.Alex Wesbrooks (UofL) vs. #114 Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 4-2, unfinished
 
Doubles
1.Fabien Salle/Matthew Fung (UofL) def. Gabriel Diallo/César Bourgois (UK) 6-1
2.Tin Chen/Sergio Hernandez (UofL) vs. Liam Draxl/Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) 4-4, unfinished
3.Alex Wesbrooks/Josh Howard-Tripp (UofL) def. Yasha Zemel/Ying-Ze Chen (UK) 6-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (3,2,4,1,5)